This invention relates in general to the storage and presentation of foods, and more particularly a merchandiser for displaying warm and cold foods.
Traditional restaurants use menus to inform patrons of the foods which are available for consumption on the premises of such restaurants. Cafeterias, on the other hand, actually display the foods for the patrons to observe and select. While cafeteria displays may stimulate sales, cafeteria lines are not for all restaurants. Not only do they occupy considerable space, but they often detract from the ambiance that a restaurateur may seek to present. Yet the actual display of foods stimulates the sale of such foods, and this holds particularly true for pies, salads and confections--foods which might not otherwise be purchased with traditional meal orders.
Merchandisers in the form of cabinets exist for displaying one type of food or another, but rarely different types of foods. One never finds warm and cold foods displayed together, obviously by reason of the different temperatures at which they must be held.